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Friday, December 18, 2009

FPE Funds: Vultures Mauling Carcass Kenya

The hyenas have struck at the Ministry of Education by looting donor funds meant for free primary education. The heartless wolves won't care less even if their selfish acts will see more than 8 million children drop out of school.

That the government has been used as a cash cow by fraudulent civil servants is not legendary. But seeing senior officers at the ministry's headquarters squander money meant for the poorest is cannibalism taken too far.

Well, the thieves may have just bitten more than they can chew. And Kibaki is livid with rage at their audacity to steal such large amount organizing and attending phantom seminars and conferences. You can only imagine how many such evil schemes these fraudsters successfully executed without being caught.

Leaves you asking where are our values as a country and society if we can chuck out food from a starving Kenyan? No superlative constitution can legislate human values. No wonder these officials have no qualms formulating policies for public schools while sending their own kids to private schools.

Begging thievesAdd this obtuse heartlessness to government officials stealing bags of maize and beans meant to feed the starving in Rift Valley and you get what constitutes our warped sense of financial success - HELL FOR LEATHER.

We are such shameless begging thieves. It had to take donor UK's actions of withholding further funding before the so-called leaders react. So much for hollow sovereignty and flag independence.

And true to our unique template Professor Ongeri and Mutahi won't take personal or official responsibility. Welcome to Kenya where everything goes.

Special announcement:

Cancel all your dates this weekend that will keep you far from the web. Chris continous with his groundbreaking series; Dark secrets of the Kenyan presidency. If you thought the Kenyatta secrets were hot then you will faint when you read the Moi ones starting tomorrow.

More good news for regular visitors to Kumekucha. Starting Tuesday Chris will launch a new business and social series to highlight heroic deeds and unique stuff Kenyans are doing all over the world. He will focus on the small man who hardly has a chance of ever getting major media coverage. There is a lot Kenyans are doing quietly from a great herbal service that has a track record for saving lives of people suffering from Aids to a small publishing company that has launched a very useful stimulus package that will make 2010 a great year for anybody who gets these 9 books and practices everything in them. Much more to look forward to only here in Kumekucha.

31 comments:

Anonymous
said...

Taabu,

What do you say about the PM taking responsibility of the mess since ministers report to him??He is their boss and the buck stops with him....But we all know his family is a beneficially of stealing maize meant for the poor, malindi land meant for the squatters, molasses plant meant for poor luo's and so will not raise a finger since he has perfected that art himself.

shame on anon @ 3.29 pm who must involve the pm in ur comments.da moral fibre in kenya is rotten @ only devine intervention can change us.we have no feelings for the needy.the poor are used by all in authority:1)their votes r used to elect useless leaders,2)relief food is sold by administration officers,3)land for resettling the poor is eaten by mbutas,4)free primary ed money eaten by those in authority ! .

Anon 3.29 you can't justify the plunder because PM is corupt. Two wrongs don't make it right. Your obsession with th PM is beyond belief. just because you repeat the same message everyday won't make your story true. Unless you are Taabu trying to make us react provocation

Why do I have a feeling that Ongeri and Mutahi could be knowing more than what we think and could have benefited either directly or indirectly from this fraud.

Normally the thieves steal, then in order to blind the minister they give him part of the stolen money in form of gifts for christmas. Eventually the Minister will see it fit to listen to the thieves than to independent auditors - maybe that's the reason he went on claiming that only 59 million has been stolen. Ongeri and Mutahi are the kinds I see can receive such money with glee.

Unfortunately this doesn't live any incriminating evidence towards the minister so that he can be prosecuted in court, even though sometimes he may have been given a bigger share. Remember Anglo leasing, Goldenberg and Maize scandal, there is no evidence to incriminate Moi, Saitoti, Mudavadi, Kiraitu, Mwiraria, Ruto, Namwamba, Fidel etc.

did anyone catch the press conference by the prof, just the arrogance is unbelievable..I mean the guy cloud even have said sorry this has happened on my watch I am going to investigate bla bla bla lakini bilaz..shame on you Ongeri..I hope your clan whereever they are are ashamed by what you stand for!

Kenya is a super banana republic that has gone to the dogs as mega scandals are pulled with mind boggling impunity. There's one law for the rich and one for Joe the plumber. Where is our PM and his twin brother Kibaki whom he believes is (don't laugh) a reformer? Why can't they fight corruption with as much zeal as the Mau land grabbing?

Self-important-egoistic-scum will rob millions from the needy and our pathetic Govt has the audacity to roll a red carpet for them when they knock state house for endless parties.

The village poor steal a chicken and they are shot dead on sight or locked up for eons. Who can forget that sorry pic of that parking attendant jailed for a shilling 200bribe? Only IN Kibaki/Raila's failed state!

Hooligans like Ferdinand Waititu (Embakasi) and Simon Mbugua (Kamukunji) who are "Waheshimiwas" were caught on tape beating innocent men an inch to the grave several months ago. As you may have already guessed, they are yet to be interviewed despite their victims reporting the assault matters to the much more corrupt police officers.

Waititu severely punched and stoned an innocent demonstrator until he bled profusely from nose and ears live on TV and gloated that's justice Embakasi style. Mbugua beat NTV reporter Robert Nagila senselessly at Serena hotel for exposing his dubious car sales company that was ripping off innocent Kenyans.

Those who have stolen millions from the free education kitty will not, I repeat NOT, be taken anywhere! Ok, they will be "arrested" and interviewed but the investigations will be deliberately shoddy and files will vanish in thin air and before hopeless Kenyans know it, we shall have "moved on" as we always do. Who is taking the bets?

Those thieves at Ministry of education have their owners and masters who obviously shared the juicy loot. So DO expect calls like "they want to finish our tribe" if the pathetic KACC detectives move in on them for some picnic exercise.

As Moi aptly put it, "Wakenya mtazungushwa milele". That's the only point I happen to agree with the prof of politics AKA the giraffe that sees far. Sadly in every angle you look at it, the old dictator was dead right!

I am for one centre of power - whatever they want to call it and not two. Future and survival of Kenya will be at major risk having to centres of power due to endless power struggles. In fact, the struggles will be worse than current Kibaki-Raila situation. In current set up, Raila enjoys illussionary powers and Kibaki was left with his powere intact. Raila knows it - Kibaki calls the shots. Raila also joined Kibaki's Govt and Kibaki had an upper hand since it's like inviting somebody to your own house.

But if the draft passes with the persons who will occupy the two centres of power will jostle from day one since they are entering the same house together. A PM controlling Cabinet will make all major decisions for Kenyans. Draft proposes PM to be in charge of police while President be in charge of military. Suppose there was a fall out like during Kibaki and Raila first days? The two will unleash security forces loyal to them on the other and who will suffer? The grass will suffer!

Suppose the PM starves the military cash after a fall out with the President? Won't we have coups? The so-called CoE "EXPERTS" are just a bunch of jokers and one doesnt need to go to any school of law to see the imminent danger they are putting us into. At least, I breathed a sigh of relieve when LSK rejected the hybrid nonsense and called for one system of Govt with strong checks and balances.

My argument is that Kenya's have a right to choose their CEO but not a bunch of selfish and greedy MPs who vote along monetary gains, ethinic and personal lines and hatred and not their conscience. Mudavadi last week said the law of electing mayors will be changed so that voters will be electing their mayors and not councillors. That's how democracry works. The same Mudavadi was sent by Raila and ODM to present the party's views to CoE, in which they propose an executive PM voted by MPs and a president voted by Kenyans remains ceremonial. What nonsense is this? Why take Kenyans' right to choose their CEO? Why should we be moving forward in councils and moving backwards in the country's top seat?

The best thing is to create a Govt along the US lines where the presidency has strong checks and balances. Ensure the president must submit names of all public officials, including Cabinet, to Parliament for approval. Those under graft probe to be rejected. Put a high bar of anyone aspiring to be president to ensure my Mt Kenya folks do not dominate the top seat.

The above and other views is what I submitted to those idiotic CoE. I met US ambassador in his residence on Jamuhuri Day and I shared the same views.

Chris, if Kenya falls part, you and I and our kids will suffer. But Kibaki, Uhuru, Raila and all other Hague material will take flight and leave us burning and slaughtering each other. We must fight for a better Kenya- NOT in bars but by action and deep. Many Kenyans talk in bars and never take part in bring democracy or correcting the evils in our society.

This Ministry fiasco, like Anglo Leasing, Goldenberg, KENREN (how Kibaki became a millionaire), and the suffering it causes these poor kids is what it is because most of the people at the helm at MoE are Kikuyus, save for this guy, Ongeri.

Another Scam...Kibaki pissed off...how predictable.But ofcourse nothing substantial will result.The only guys shaking right now in their boots are ironically, the KACC investigators and NOT the culprits at the Ministry.

Allow me to explain by predicting the sequence of events...and Kibaki also KNOWS this but he now pretends to be annoyed:

1. A few officials get suspended.2. KACC 'swings into action'.3. A damning report is written recommending the prosecution of key officials in the Ministry.4. A few scapegoats subsequently appear in court.5. Ladies and Gentlemen....thats it.6. No convictions whatsoever will result no matter how long the court process takes.

Fellow Kenyans...this is the official Kenyan state policy of dealing with corruption, sanctioned by Kenyan Presidents since 1963.

I'm willing to bet Ksh 10,000 here that not a SINGLE person will be jailed for this theft!!!! Any takers???

Corruption is life in Kenya and vice versa. This will never change atleast for the next centuries. The solution is; it should be legalised. Taught at diner tables, under a thorn tree, in nursery and school and even in church. That way, we could level the game plan and rules ; and the trickle down effect would reach all ; MAYBE!!!

....7. Level of devolution need to be informed by the budget. If they are too taxing on the common man then it is better to just strengthen (by way of strengthening the CDF) what we have under the current constitution.8. On executive powers, there seems not to be any consensus and thus it will be up to you the CoE and from the views received from Kenyans, which system suits our situation. The system so chosen shall take into account our diversity and our past. We need to move away from the problems we have experienced in the past but at the same time settle on something that will stand the test of time, something that will lead to stability and peace and not endless bickering. My suggestion is that we have a presidential system with two chambers of parliament. The senate (made up of regional representatives) and the upper house (MPs). The executive authority still vests in the president but shall be exercised either directly or indirectly through other officers. For instance, lets have the president be an apolitical office and thus the person who wants to become the president need to be an independent candidate. Let him come up with his policies and sell them across Kenya. This way we may be giving a blow to tribal groupings and alliances. He derives his authority directly from the people and so will be accountable to the same. However, he is not at will to exercise his authority as each and every act is scrutinized or checked by relevant arms but he needs to have powers to run the country. The next power center will be the Cabinet. Let us call it the Council of Ministers. The President will constitute an executive council of ministers from members of parliament (half) and other half from professionals outside parliament. But since it will be an executive Council, each member derives executive powers from the president by default. This enables him/her to act in the best interests of the appointing power. The president proposes three (3) names for each position and forwards the names to parliament that makes the final decision. Council members will be free to run their ministries to the best of their abilities without interference. As they go about running their ministerial duties, the president will be unifying the nation, etc. .......

I am afraid I have to go with Ken on this controversial debate that has been launched here (it has given me an idea for a great post one day).

Just ask your self two simple questions?

1. How much development was achieved under the colonialists and how much has been achieved after independence? i.e. which one is greater? (r u aware that not an inch of the Railway line has been added since independence? etc.)

2. Would you be better off free and hungry or colonized and prosperous? (Incidentally most Kenyans would give their right hands and more to get a ticket to those places where blacks are still looked down on and treated like dirt).

I rest my case.

I realize that what I am insinuating here is horrible and terrible. But it is the horrible and terrible truth.

Kumekucha.

P.S. I recently watched ROOTS based on the book by Alex Hailey and it was a heart rending and emotional experience seeing what our forefathers went through during the slave trade era. BUT even after that I won't change my position on this matter. I think it is better to be oppressed by foreigners than your own people, which is what has happened to us here in Kenya.

When you meet most kenyans, the first thing they tell you is they are christians. They basically mean they are good people. Being good includes being honest. In fact most meetings/seminars in kenya start with a "word of prayer". When you listen to the prayer, you hear only good things being desired. What makes kenyans desire good things but do the opposite? Am not a christian and i dont believe prayers are answered. But my question is: if the kenyan's "heart" is good as indicated in the prayers, why cant this translate to good acts? is this what is called walking (acting) the talk (prayer). I mean most wazungus are not christians (strictly speaking) but they generally deal honestly with their fellow citizens. OK we had UK mps making false claims but generally stealing money meant for the public is quite rare.

How do we make our people honest? I dont think religion will work. It has not worked. I would personally suggest a set of very draconian laws. I think in china certain forms of corruption are capital offences. But I realise there is also a problem of law enforcement. But if we hanged a few fellows for corruption i think we might see some change. It is a desperate situation, requring desperate measures.

A culture of wanton theft has taken a firm roots in Kenyan society, especially in its leadership ranks. The tragedy is that the cacophony of cries are not accompanied by clear headed ideas about what is happening and how the problem may be solved. First, our democracy is lacking in the political will to guarantee good governance; it lacks the spectrum of appropriate governance institutions and a genuine space for influencing performance. Leadership falls far short of the standards required. Parliament is made up of a ragtag of individual opportunists lacking the intellectual energy and commitment to serious legislation, to steer governance. It does not help that these fellows might be from backgrounds that limit their legislative know-how. How many of them craft new legislation, carry out legislative or issue research or even present the nation with well researched issue analysis? Very few. Second, persons in high office, presidents, PMs, ministers, etc know the country cannot hold them to account e.g. it takes the UK freezing funds for the president to take a public position on embezzlement?!!. Meanwhile, the PM has to fight against behind-the-scenes political grudges about power to get the space to do his job (and get demonized for it because we are not used to people taking a straight stab at a job!).

That leaves the Wakos (prosecution of corruption cases), Ongeris (theft at MOEd.), Saitoti (non performance against insecurity and emergencies), Uhuru Kenyattas (phantom figures in printed budget estimates) etc. Take your stock and answer this, "Where is this country going?" Not to mention a cantankerous band of tribal jingoists drumming up confrontational euphoria across the country against imaginary enemies. For example, in the time that Ruto has taken to attend a cabinet meeting, disown its resolutions, fly off the handle to blame cabinet decisions on a pet enemy, waffle about PEV culprits' trial, he could have provided Kenya with enough change to earn the Nobel Prize he seems to imagine Raila is after. Creating a bandwagon about imaginary tribal enemies seems to be the stock in trade for a leadership bankrupt in ideas for transformational change.

Let's go to the mwananchi or otherwise known as the electorate. Typically their civic voice can be heard in the daily murmurs like, "Kibaki has done this or that, OR the government has failed to do this or that..". Lamentably, this rings hollow,and, has convinced the five-year tenants of our august house, beneficiaries of our tax money, that they do not need to worry because we don't get it. They can do damn well what they want, manage funds it is their duty to play watchdogs over, raise their salaries but not do a single thing about governance and its direct impact on the suffering of the mwananchi. To them, our murmurs mean nothing. See how they have chorused unanimously against the "recall clause" in the draft constitution. The reality is that beyond feeble street protests that get clamped down by baton wielding riot police, Kenyans have not figured out effective ways to exact accountability. When they do, so-called leaders (or dealers?)will find it hard to steal FPE money even if we go to sleep for endless hours.

Meanwhile, Kenya continues to enjoy the dubious distinction of being the only country in the world where not a single soul is in jail for theft of public funds.

Kenyans must learn how to detect when the County Council diverts funds meant for maintaining feeder roads. They should mobilize appropriate action (rather than talk at the thieves).Kenyans must, on their own,find ways of smoking out a non-performing attorney-general responsible for the spread of impunity. Kenyans must say no to being herded to unproductive political rallies every weekend, often to listen to trashy politics. Above all, Kenyans must avoid electing lacklustre individuals to leadership because the legislative accomplishments they will score cannot be any more colorful than the MPs that enact or fail to enact them.

Views and ideas in Kumekucha are interesting and brilliant. The solutions being offered worth a thought. Unfortunately this has not reached mainstream Kenya ; the 70-80 % rural folks who make up the majority of the electoral. Only untill the level of awareness, clarity of whats happening......become Mainstream, shall we barely be able to treat this critically ill Nation called Kenya

I think it is better to be oppressed by foreigners than your own people, which is what has happened to us here in Kenya.

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Bwana Chris, you are falling for easy solutions to Kenyan/African problems.

A man can only act in accordance with the light he has. Thus, it is not that Kibaki is a bad guy. Far from it. Kibaki, and practically all policy makers in Africa are victims of brainwash education on economics from the West.

One may ask, why is this. It is because, the developed nations have two types of economics:

(a) Academic economics which is taught in schools we attend in the West. This is what our policy makers are exposed to.

(b) Institutional economics which guide OECD nations. Our economics students have no idea about this type of economics.

Let us give a practical example. A few days, without the notice of Kenyans, including intellectuals, we launched Special Economic Zones supported of course by WB.

The CEO of this system was extremely jovial talking to our media which also cannot see thru the scheme.

Well, Mwarang'ethe happens to have done a dissertation on outsourcing issues while taking into account transfer pricing and international tax planning.

The findings are that:

(a) Most of the outsourced manufacturing activities are LOW - END ACTIVITIES which are subject to CONSTANT or NEGATIVE RETURNS,

(b) These activities have limited scope for LEARNING,

The other segment that is subject to: increasing returns, imperfect competition and capital accumulation, large scale learning and technical change are left intact in the countries of origin.

Without us realising the game, we end up caught up in a Malthusian trap whereby, we have higher standards of living which increase population without significant productivity. This then, lowers the standards of living back to subsistence level.

In a nutshell, we are caught up without our knowledge for African intellectuals have been "euthanised" in a triple curse of natural resources:

(a) Diminishing returns.(b) Perfect competition.(c) Price volatility.

Thats why Michael Porter advises companies to avoid "dog industries" which are subject to perfect competition. He was in Kenya recently, but, he never told you this.

Very strangely, on this point, Harvard Business School and Karl Marx are reading from the same script, but, they will not tell Africa this.

Yes they stole FPE funds...and AIDS funds...and...and...all true but, RAILA IS THIS AND THAT, RUTO IS THIS AND THAT, KIBAKI IS THIS AND THAT, KIKUYUS ARE THIS AND THAT, LUOS ARE THIS AND THAT, KADHI'S COURTS ARE THIS AND THAT, GAY MARRIAGE IS THIS AND THAT.

Thats a typical kenyan with higher education for you. When will we start using our heads and think like intelligent human beings? When will we realise that we are destroying this country arguing about things that add no ugali to our tables? Or arguing about people who are shafting us big time up there?

Theft of public funds will continue as long there is a "non-performance contract" signed between the president, his cabinet and the bureaucracy to fleece the country dry while he looks the other way. The non-performance contract is actually based on our mistaken belief that these five-year term politicians (MPs) actually have the capacity, know-how and commitment to supervise government. Believe it or not, this is wrong! Absurd as it may sound, Ongeri might sit at Jogoo House, enjoy escorted limo rides, earn huge perks, attract media attention wherever he goes, but he will, most likely, have absolutely no idea his coffers at MOEd is being cleaned out by all and sundry including the tea girl. That applies to all ministers. The veneer of leading a ministry, in the plum position of a minister, is too sweet for them to allow the public know that, in actual fact, they know next to nothing about what is going on at the ministry. This is something we need to talk seriously about as Kenyans, all of us. It is a half-hidden fact that the ceremony of selecting ministers is one that gives the president some form of structural and symbolic control over government. If you want to know that a minister's is no more than a ceremonial job, requiring no aptitude or the executive know-how to run a ministry, ask yourself why it does not seem to make a difference that a minisiter might be a 7th grade graduate of 40 years ago, a 4th former, or a total illiterate. How can such a person understand, let alone get on top of, the complexities of policy, procurement, issue and financial audits, human resource realities etc?

There are, on the other side, bureaucrats who have basic level grammar school degree education. They pass for what is fondly called technocrats. They owe their positions to patronage, ethnic preferentialism, and stepwise career progression. A chance for real technocrats running ministries is dashed by political interference. These scenarios render ministers totally incapable of reining in the rogue behaviors of their charges, the civil servants.It would be useful to honestly ask ourselves who is the policy maker in Kenya, who is the policy analyst, what are the people's own (civic) watchdog institutions, how and when do we review our policies, mistakenly seen as the documents drawn by civil servants?. We can discuss policy making in Kenya at a different time.

Bottom-line is, Kenyans are their own worst enemies when it comes to correcting their own institutions to work better for them. The picture is murkier than the simple notion that Kibaki and Raila are not delivering. And, Kenyans need to get to specifics about malfeasance in public office.

Ongeri will not come to tell you,"I get driven into Jogoo House each morning, see a few constituents, have some camaraderie with the PS, ask where the press are, call mama and, then, get driven home! I don't know when the PS signs payment vouchers for phantom services, sets up bogus seminars etc. I see my accountant and procurement officers in good suits driving good cars, but I was told they are large scale farmers in Kitale..." etc etc.

It would be useful to honestly ask ourselves who is the policy maker in Kenya, who is the policy analyst, what are the people's own (civic) watchdog institutions, how and when do we review our policies, mistakenly seen as the documents drawn by civil servants?.

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Nice questions.

Kenyans/Africans are not serious about governance at all. For instance, there should be a department staffed with personnel from AG's office, Ministry of Finance and Foreign Affairs.

The sole job of such personnel is to track legal/economic changes in USA, Europe, Japan, China and India for instance.

Under such a department, every legal/economic move made by any of these nations, would be analysed and shared with colleagues from all other African nations.

From such deliberations, African nations would then come up with a legal/economic policies in response so as to protect the material interests of African nations.

For instance, if we had such coordinated policy formulation manner, Africa would reject WB and IMF concotion of so called Export Promotion Zones which have now been baptised into Special Economic Zones.

These policies will bury Kenya/Africa into more poverty and consequent endless conflicts which the West will "try to solve" by bringing in ICC which does not address the real issues.

we are waiting for the moi secrecies...is it true the mossad gave advance warning of the 1982 coup? how true was the njonjo treason... did he know about the tortures by NSIS..can you believe his biography by Andrew Norton

...Says a retired army officer: “Early in President Moi’s reign, the military assumed a very high public profile. When travelling to and returning from state visits abroad, there was always a full guard of honour for him. He used to be escorted by Air Force jet fighters and then the same jets would give him a fly-by when he finished inspecting the guard of honour. He opened many agricultural shows around the country and the story was the same: guard of honour, Air Force fly-by. He was very different from Kenyatta who seemed to have little time for the armed forces.”..It was all about wasting vast quantities of fuel, endangering people’s lives and needlessly wearing down expensive machines, all for the sake of massaging somebody’s ego.

So the escort flights went on. On a few occasions, the Commander-in-Chief took time off to meet and shake hands with the pilots. He praised them and encouraged them to keep up the good work. After the compliments, the aviators took off for home at Laikipia Air Base having performed their national duty...Mission leader Gichangi acknowledged the communication. But they were all flying in dense cloud and the fighters could only track the 707 through their radar screens. Nobody could physically see the other. It was all instrument flying.

It was a mission which opened a whole new meaning to the idea of escort where neither the escort nor the escorted can see each other save through electronic gadgetry.

Says Shava: “Before Naivasha, we broke cloud. I was on the right side of Gichangi and we saw the 707 turn left. Gichangi turned left too, and just as I began joining them, we all plunged into the clouds again! And that is when my problems began. We were making rapid turns in the clouds when I experienced a loss of power in my aircraft...I saw the seat separating from me as the parachute deployed. I saw so many people that I knew in my life. I saw family members, friends and many other people. There seemed to be so much time for me to absorb all this. And yet it all took place in the space of only 1.9 seconds.”..He emerged through a heavy cloud in the Kinangop area and landed in the backyard of some humble peasant farmer’s homestead. There was a sizeable group of people in the vicinity. He heard the loud bang of his crashing jet in the distance.

Then the drama began. A fighter pilot’s attire includes a flying suit, a helmet and a survival kit in addition to his brightly coloured parachute designed to attract people who would help in distress. It also includes a life jacket should he land in water.

The Kinangop area has given Kenyans some famously religious people of not always the orthodox kind. In 1992, they produced an MP who was christened Prophetess by fellow members because of her penchant to communicate “messages from God” to them.

In 2006, the area was in the news for a long time when members of the House of Yahweh sect prophesied nuclear war, donned gas masks and dug themselves into mud bunkers in readiness for the world’s end.

Shava had come face to face with this religious intensity much earlier. When the humble peasants of the area he landed in saw who had happened upon them from the heavy clouds, they immediately went down on their knees to pray.

“I understand the language and I could tell they were praying to me,” he remembers.

They were sure this was the Messiah whom they had been told over and over again would descend from the clouds and come to them. They beseeched Shava to forgive them all their trespasses as the shaken pilot struggled to come to terms with his fate.